


The Test

by Kiterie



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-02
Updated: 2008-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-28 03:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/669982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiterie/pseuds/Kiterie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gai undergoes the jounin exam. Ibiki is the one responsible for testing him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Test

**Author's Note:**

  * For [imlikat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imlikat/gifts), [Athame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athame/gifts).



Daichi Hayashi took the file from the hokage with a brief nod. "It will be the perfect opportunity to test my protege," he said, flipping the folder open and studying its contents. "Any restrictions on the test?"

"The usual. If it appears that he is going to break, stop. Otherwise, do whatever it takes to test his limits." Sandaime wondered if he was doing the right thing. The chunin was determined but he lacked a great deal that would be necessary as a jounin.

"Hai, Sandaime-sama, we shall do our best." He turned the page and frowned thoughtfully. "Anything that's not in the files that we should be made aware of?" It wasn't unusual to have certain information left out of a file for various reasons. Not only could those things prove useful in finding a weakness, they could also give the interrogator warning signs for when a person was about to break.

"He insists Hatake-san is his eternal rival, never backs down from a challenge, and is one of the most determined shinobi in the village." He worried that those three things were easily as much a weakness as a strength.

"Hmm... might be useful. Ibiki has a way of using people's strengths against them." The dark haired nin rubbed his chin thoughtfully before turning and exiting the room without so much as a cursory goodbye. It would be a good challenge for his student and it would give him a chance to see where the kid's weaknesses were.

\-------------

Ibiki darted through the trees trying to keep ahead of the guy trailing him. He slapped an explosive tag on a tree and leapt to the forest floor. He needed to keep him at bay a little longer or he'd have to carry him to the interrogation point. And, he really didn't want to do that.

He'd been letting the chunin chase him for nearly three days now, and he didn't seem to be the least bit fatigued. Really, Ibiki thought, for a chunin the man has more stamina than a small god. If it hadn't been for his access to the ANBU only stamina pills, he'd have had to end the chase the day before.

When he finally reached the clearing, that was about as close to the outpost as one could get without being able to see the place, he came to stop in the clearing and turned to face his opponent. The feral grin he was quickly becoming famous for spread across his face. It was time to get this over with.

It was barely ten minutes before the other caught up to him. The bastard had the audacity to look like he had only been out for a stroll. He really did not understand who he was facing. He couldn't if he was grinning like that. Was the man so foolish and cocky that he didn't even read the mission file they'd given him? Oh well, Ibiki decided. If he was, then he had every right to beat the shit out of him because he wasn't jounin material.

"My worthy opponent, it is good that you have chosen this place to face me! You are truly an adversary of merit! This is the perfect place to test our youthful skills," the shinobi said, grinning while holding his arm out and giving Ibiki a thumbs up.

Ibiki stared at the chunin, confusion clouding his mind. 'Did he realize that this is all a test?' He wanted to ask, but of course he couldn't. "It's a shame I didn't lose you in the trees. Now I'll be forced to do things I'd really rather have avoided."

Ibiki didn't give the other a chance to respond. Instead, he went on the attack immediately. He quickly discovered, however, that the file hadn't been exaggerated and this Gai-san was truly a master of taijutsu. He changed his tactics and quickly distanced himself.

It took more time than Ibiki cared to admit to find the weaknesses in the other man's defense, and he wondered for a moment if he'd be able to pull it off without killing him. Rather, do it and still have the energy to drag them both to the outpost. He decided at that same moment that he was most definitely going to be stuck doing so, even if he loathed the idea.

The thought crossed his mind that maybe he should have taken Hayashi-sama up on the offer to assign a second man to the task. Ibiki, however, knew this was his chance to prove himself, and he wasn't going to let it pass him by.

\----------

His head hurt and when he tried to open his eyes he found he couldn't see anything. It took him awhile to realize that it wasn't because he'd gone blind; there simply wasn't any light. Not even enough to cast a shadow.

Slowly, he did what he could to check himself over. His arms were stretched over his head, and his toes barely dusted the ground below him. They were shackled, and when he lifted them to see how far the chain would give, he discovered his right knee was broken. The pain shot through him and overrode whatever drugs he'd been given that were fogging his brain.

When he tried to wiggle his fingers on his left hand, he realized they were broken. He shuddered, knowing if they weren't set right and soon, it could be a very bad thing for him in the long run. He shoved the thought aside and took a deep breath, or rather he tried. Only, he realized that several of his ribs were also broken, and the attempt had him hacking and coughing, which only hurt more.

He could feel the cool tears as they slid down his fevered cheeks, and he wondered how long he'd been out, how long he'd been gone. He wasn't expected back for at least another five days, from the point he'd finally caught up to his prey. He decided it couldn't have been more than one, since the wounds he could now feel on his back hadn't closed; the remnants of his shirt clinging to the drying blood.

That was both a good and a bad thing. It meant that his fingers could still be mended if he could get out of there. On the other hand, it meant that it would be at least another four days before they started looking for him if he couldn't get out of there.

His first solo mission and it seemed as though the challenge just might be too much. No, he wouldn't let himself think such thoughts. He would not fail this mission! He would get back to the village, and he would be a jounin! He would finally be his Eternal Rival's equal! Then Kakashi-san would finally accept his challenges!

He winced as the door swung open and light poured through.

"I see you're awake." Gai couldn't see him, his eyes still not adjusted to the sudden light, but he knew by the sound of the man's voice that it was his target.

"You Truly Are A Worthy Opponent!" Gai said in as bright a voice as he could manage under the situation.

"It seems, however, that _you_ are not." Slowly, the figure was coming into view, the shadows taking on more shape. "I considered finishing you off, however, even a genin like you might be of use. Perhaps you know something I can use."

Gai laughed despite how bad it hurt to do so. "You have such a sense of humor!"

"About what exactly?" The tone was flat, but he could see now that the man was smirking. He was amused, but Gai knew it was for different reasons than he'd implied. Still, he had to keep from showing any weakness in front of the enemy.

"I am no mere genin, and as soon as I am free, we shall finish our match!" He smiled, putting a great deal of effort into it. He was trying to show the other that he was not afraid; which, oddly enough, he actually wasn't.

"Hn," the man scoffed. "Your bravado is useless. Nobody is coming for you anytime soon. And, by the time they do, you'll be begging me to end your pathetic existence."

\-------------

Ibiki kicked the door. Damn that man was stubborn! He'd tried damn near every trick in the book, and all he did was smile and spout some non-sense about Ibiki being a worthy opponent. It was starting to grate on his nerves.

It wasn't exactly that he wanted to break Gai. He just wanted him to crack a little. Maybe offer to tell him what he wanted to know. Something! Anything!

He flipped through the file again. Taunting him about his ineptitude with anything besides taijutsu hadn't gotten him anywhere. Physical torture seemed to give the man an adrenaline rush, and he'd actually managed to break his feet loose and kick Ibiki in the head. To top it off, he'd suggested rather cheerfully that Ibiki put some ice on it.

He flipped through the other files, the ones on the man's teammates, but saw almost nothing of use. Neither was dead and both were still chunin themselves. His sensei was dead, though. That could be useful. He tossed all three to the side with Gai's and thumbed through the other files.

He set his coffee down and stared at the file that had been slowly shuffled to the top. He'd almost forgotten what Hayashi-sama had said about Gai seeing Hatake-san as his rival. Really, it was laughable, but Ibiki's jaw hurt a bit too much to laugh at the moment.

\---------

Gai woke from the drugged sleep slowly and with a great deal less pain than he expected. The floor was cool beneath his back, and he shivered uncontrollably.

"Don't move too much." Gai tried to focus on the voice but whatever drugs were in his system were doing an amazing job of keeping him from doing so. He knew it was familiar, though.

"Maa... if you keep moving, you're going to undo all my handy work."

"Kakashi-san?" Gai wondered what his eternal rival was doing there. He couldn't quite recall where 'there' was, however; and he wasn't completely sure it was because of the drugs.

"Hai. The drugs were necessary, and you kept moving, so I had to put the restraints back on. The breaks can't take that much motion just yet."

Breaks... the word formed slowly in Gai's mind, and slowly the memory of the mission seeped to the surface. It was vague but it was there.

"Are you okay?"

"Hai, I shall be my youthful self in no time." The words flowed out even as a part of Gai's brain told him something was wrong. It was so hard to think with all the drugs, though. Something was wrong with Kakashi-san, he thought, but wasn't he the one that was hurt?

"I'm glad," Kakashi said cheerfully.

The sense that something was off grew, and Gai slowly sorted through his thoughts until it finally occurred to him exactly what it was.

"No.."

"No what? Is something wrong?"

"No... you're..." It was so hard to get the words out. They kept getting jumbled in his head. "You're not..."

"I'm not what? Glad? Of course I'm glad you're okay..." Gai could clearly hear the confusion and concern laced through the voice. It was what was wrong. The concern.

"You're... not him," he finally choked out.

He heard the other man curse using his rival's voice. "You're quicker than I thought, even through the drugs." Then the man moved away and the darkness enveloped the room again. Gai wanted to laugh at the idea of Kakashi showing concern. At the same time, he wished that his rival was there.

\--------

Ibiki slammed a fist against the wall and then cursed as he bandaged his knuckles. He couldn't figure out how Gai-san had known. His henge had been perfect. The drugs would have kept him from being able to register a difference in chakra. Hell, they should have kept him from being able to do more than nod and babble answers to whatever Ibiki asked. This particular truth serum had proven extremely effective on previous interrogations, and he'd given him more than enough. Once again, he found himself cursing the man's stamina.

Frowning, Ibiki glared at the files before walking into the kitchen. He considered the remaining options. There was one way he knew he could get what he wanted. However, he didn't want to do it. It would be wrong. Honestly, he had hoped that something else would work. Doing that to a fellow Konoha shinobi seemed horribly, horribly wrong. Digging a sandwich out of the fridge, he sat and went over the files again. There had to be another way.

\------

"Tell me something I can use."

Gai chuckled and shook his head.

"I can let you go if you'll just give me something useful."

"I can't do that," he replied grinning.

"My superiors won't allow me to let you go otherwise." Gai watched the brown haired man pace in front of him. "Surely, there is some small detail you could give me."

"You Are Truly A Skilled Interrogator!" He sucked in a breath at the sharp pain that shot through his chest with the proclamation. "But I will never betray my village. We are both Honorable Shinobi. We should settle this with our True Skills and leave these matters to others!" He wasn't stupid, he knew this was as much a part of being a shinobi, as his mission was to capture Katashi Wakahisa and bring him back to be interrogated himself. The irony of that was not lost on him. However, the argument was the best he could come up with, at the moment, for discontinuing the useless banter. Besides, it always seemed to grate the other's nerves when he grinned and gave one of his challenges. "We could continue our foot race or the taijutsu match! I am quite certain I shall win next time!"

The nin turned and scowled at him then continued to pace back and forth. Gai wondered what it was he was debating that had him so at odds with himself. Perhaps it was whether or not to kill him, since he was proving to be a rather useless subject.

"You know nothing of my 'true skills' and, if I am forced to, I will resort to them," he stated after a moment.

Gai decided that the half feral grin, half scowl that his captor wore would be intimidating to almost everyone. Perhaps it was the drugs, but the effect was lost on him.

"Do as you must, but your efforts will not gain the results you want."

"I _always_ get the results I want." The words sent a brief shiver down Gai's spine. They made it clear, even through the haze of drugs, that if anyone had a confidence to match his own it was this man.

He wasn't sure how the other managed it, but he felt the darkness swarm over him again just after the door clicked shut. The words, however, still echoed in the recesses of his mind as he slowly fell into the drugged sleep.

\---------

Gai woke to find his restraints had been altered for probably the fourth or fifth time since his capture. His arms were stretched above his head again, but this time his knees were strapped to hooks in front of him and his ankles were tied behind him and off to the sides; causing his legs to remain slightly parted. He noted, vaguely, that he'd been stripped and gagged. 'So that's the new plan,' he thought blandly, the drugs clearly still affecting him.

"So nice of you to finally join me." A hand slid slowly over the back of his shoulders. "One last chance to tell me something of use. The location of an outpost, a hidden entrance into Konoha, a meeting point of interest, anything you like." Fingers trailed down his spine. "Just nod if you want this to be over, if you're willing to give me something. Of course, if you'd rather, we can see where this goes."

Gai closed his eyes and steeled his nerves for the things he knew were coming. He would not fail Konoha! Not even if it cost him his life... or his pride.

"Fine." Gai felt something sharp prick the skin on the inside of his elbow. "This should help keep you conscious. I would hate for you to miss all of the fun."

He could hear clinking behind him and decided that it was most likely something being set down on a metal tray. It was probably the needle. Then there were softer sounds he couldn't place, and Gai tried not to think about the hundreds of things they could be.

"Here, I'll even be nice." The voice was sadistic rather than kind, as the words implied. A moment later, a cloth covered his eyes, a knot being tied at the back, which was tightened almost painfully. "After all, with your eyes closed, you'll be able to focus more on the sensations..." He drawled out next to Gai's ear.

Something else was removed from the tray, and Gai forced himself to focus on his restraints. The ones on his wrist were metal, although his wrists were wrapped in leather. He decided this was likely to keep him from being able to slick his wrists with blood and sweat to pull them free. The leather also kept his hands bound in fists so that seals were impossible.

Whatever the drug was that he'd been injected with, it was quickly clearing his mind. If not for the situation, he'd have been grateful for that fact. Not having the full capacity of your mind when in danger made it very difficult to form escape plans.

A hand slid down his chest from behind, and Gai reminded himself not to shudder, not to respond. "You're shivering.... I wonder, do you like being tied up? I know it's not cold in here."

The room was near stifling, to be honest. It had to be the drugs, he decided, because he refused to believe it was caused by the invasion of his personal space.

Gai cursed his naivete about the matter. Really, it wasn't his fault he didn't know what was probably a basic principal. If he'd realized it's usefulness, he might have included getting laid in his training schedule. It wasn't as though he could have predicted his first time would be against his will, or with another man for that matter. The trials of youth were a complicated matter, and he had assumed they would sort of fall into place at some point, but they never had.

"If you'll only nod, this can be over." He gave the man no response and the hand moved away again. "Let's test a theory of mine shall we?" The words were laced with amusement.

When the paddle smacked hard across his bare ass a moment later, he was surprised enough that he gasped. The gag muffled it, and he hoped his captor hadn't heard. He was prepared when, after a moment, the flat board of the paddle hit his cheeks again and again. He could feel the skin growing warm under the abuse.

A cold sharp laugh startled him from his concentration, and he almost winced when the board came down against his skin again. It pulled slightly at the skin, and he decided it must be covered in leather to cling to his skin that way. When the paddle didn't slap his skin again, Gai puzzled at the stinging sensation of the abused flesh. It really wasn't as painful as he had imagined. It tingled, which surprised him, but it wasn't really painful.

He was so lost in contemplation, he jerked when fingers lightly touched the reddened area and the same mocking laughter followed.

"I was right." The tone was smug. Fingers trailed down his chest and abs, stopping to trace slow circles over his hips. "You're so easily aroused."

He tried to pull away, but the few inches he could move his hips backwards did him no good. The hand stilled before slipping lower to brush lightly against his hardening member. Gai could feel the blush on his cheeks and wanted to curse. Had it not been for the gag, he might have. At least that was in his favor.

"Either this is a kink of yours or... you're a virgin."

Gai stilled but no matter how he tried, he couldn't force the blush away.

"Hm... I think it must be the latter. If it were simply a kink, I doubt you would blush so easily." The hand was massaging his growing erection. He managed to swallow the moan that threatened to escape. "If you just nod, I'll stop. Unless you want me to continue, of course. Although, I'll do that even if you don't," Ibiki's voice was a low growl, and Gai could feel his breath now as it warmed the skin on his neck.

The grip on his cock tightened briefly before the man's other hand joined it, along with a cold object he seemed to be tying around the base. "--I wouldn't want you to climax before I get what I want." Whatever it was, it tightened almost painfully. He found he was grateful, once again, for the gag as he choked back the pained groan that threaten to escape.

"Not good enough for anyone in your pathetic village?" He shivered as the man feathered light touches across his now fully erect cock. "Hmm... I wonder is that because you're shy," Ibiki laughed mockingly. "Or because you're such a pathetic excuse of a shinobi that they are convinced you're just as bad in the sack." Another laugh as he moved away.

"You realize it's been well over two weeks now, and they haven't bothered to so much as come looking for you."

Gai knew the tightening in his chest was the onset of panic and quickly began wondering if it was possible his captor was lying to him. He had to be lying, or maybe he simply didn't know the truth. Perhaps his comrades had lost his trail. If Wakahisa-san was a skilled shinobi, he'd surely be capable of covering his tracks even while carrying a prisoner. That had to be it.

"Worried?"

The question made him realize he was shaking slightly, and he took a deep breath to calm his drug-frayed nerves. 'It's the drugs,' he told himself again. He tried to recall the various effects of the drugs they'd gone over at the academy and the ones his sensei had tried to teach him about. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"Really? You should be."

He ignored the other's misinterpretation of the action, focusing instead on the dizziness that had his head spinning. "Dizziness, increased heart-rate, sweating..." he listed to himself. He was also shivering and, he decided, that - was caused as much by the drug as it was by physical contact. It was hard to sort out what was caused by the drug and what wasn't. Rika-chan would have been able to analyze the situation perfectly.

The paddle slapped across his ass again and he startled, turning his blind eyes in the direction he suspected his captor stood.

"Better. You really shouldn't ignore me." The voice was harsh. "Now, as I was saying... you really shouldn't be so loyal to a village who doesn't care in the least for you."

Gai turned his head forward again, trying to ignore the man and focus on the problem at hand.

"Don't." Smack. "Ignore." Smack. "Me." Smack.

Gai's ass hurt by this point, but he refused to acknowledge the fact.

"Fine. I have other ways of getting your attention." He could hear the smirk in the under-tones of the statement. There was some clinking from the direction of the tray again, but Gai focused again on the symptoms, listing them over and over. There was something he was missing.

Cold, wet fingers touched the hot skin of his abused ass, causing him to jump and move his hips forward away from them. It did little, as they continued to slide against his skin, between the fleshy cheeks of his ass to the puckered opening.

"I told you not to ignore me." A finger slid in and Gai clenched his teeth against the gag. It slid in and out a few times before the other spoke again. "I don't know why you insist on being so stubborn." Another finger joined the first and the odd sensation made it hard not to focus on the other man. "It's not as if I haven't tried to be nice." A third joined and it hurt but only vaguely.

Gai whimpered. He couldn't help it, and he cursed himself for it.

"That's a good boy." The fingers slid out. "Shall I reward you, hmm?"

He could feel his heart racing, and he wished for the first time he could be as indifferent to his surroundings as his rival. As analytical about them as his teammate Rika-chan, or, Kami help him, be as oblivious to them as he pretended to be.

Smooth cold metal slid against his slick skin, sending another shiver down his spine. "I promise this will be a very good reward." The egg-shaped object slid inside him as another groan escaped.

"If you tell me something, I'll let you decide if this continues..." There was a click and a buzzing sensation filled him, causing him to arch his back and moan. He cursed himself for his weakness, for being unable to resist making the noise.

"You like that?" Another click, and the buzzing stopped. -Gai managed to choke down the whimper, as gentle fingers caressed his erection. "If you tell me what I want, I'll even let you come with me. I'll make you feel this good all the time."

He turned his head away from the warm breath and shuddered as soft kisses ghosted over his neck. "Why protect them?" More soft kisses and gentle nips followed them. "It's not like they even want you." He moaned but managed to shake his head.

There was the click again and the kisses and nibbling continued. It was pure ecstasy and he both longed for it to stop and for it to continue. "Tell me... I know you want to." A tongue lapped at the bruised flesh. "Just nod and I'll let you come and then, when you wake up, you can tell me whatever it is you want."

He knew even if he lied, he'd be showing weakness, so he shook his head again. The grip on his cock tightened as the intensity of the buzzing increased. "I could make you feel this way again and again and again..." The voice trailed off into something that sounded more like a growl than anything else.

His erection was becoming painful, and he truly wanted release. He whimpered and moaned into the caresses but refused to give into the request.

"I'll take care of you. I'll appreciate you," Ibiki coaxed. "They don't care. Why should you?" The kisses trailed down his chest and abs, and Gai moaned wantonly, hating himself for it.

He started listing the symptoms again to distract himself. It took precious time for him to realize that his captor had cleverly tried to cover every symptom with a physical reason for it. It was the reason the room was hot, and it was even the reason the man was using this particular method to interrogate him. It distracted him from the symptom he'd been overlooking, the ecstatic feeling. It made it both easier and harder to think. He decided the man was using an amphetamine for the stimulant. This knowledge, however, did little to ease the guilt tightening his chest, since even knowing what the drug was did little for telling him how to counter it.

Some shinobi might have had chakra control precise enough to force the drug out of their system, or at the very least use it to their advantage. Gai, however, did not. He vowed then, that if he managed to get out of this, he was going to train until he had the control he needed. This would never happen to him again.

And then warm lips and tongue slid over the tip of his hard on, throwing Gai violently from his thoughts and self loathing, and causing him to arch his back and cry out from the sheer pleasure of it.

\-------------

Ibiki cursed the other man's resistance as he lapped at the tip of the swollen member. He was amazed by it all the same. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew nothing he did would get the man to cave before the sun came up. And when it did, his subject would have passed the time frame set for the test.

He let his teeth graze the flesh as he considered for the hundredth time if he should use his gift, his kekkei genkai, and simply retrieve the information. He knew the use would likely cause the man to break from the guilt of being unable to resist.

Sucking gently for a moment, he slid his mouth over the other man's cock before releasing it and moving to sit more erect.

"You truly are a stubborn man," he said as calmly untied the blindfold and stared into the other man's eyes. "I am impressed." Just as calmly he undid the cock ring, never breaking the gaze as he shuddered his release.

As Gai fell into an endorphin induced sleep, Ibiki stood and undid the other restraints. "If the enemy ever gets their hands on you, they're going to need somebody with something akin to my abilities to break you," he muttered shaking his head. "Hmph, and maybe you'd even be able to resist me." A slight smile slid across his face at the thought.

\------

"Report," Hayashi instructed the shinobi standing before his desk.

Ibiki's expression remained impassive as he rattled off the details. He left nothing out. The explicit details were given in the same calm demeanor as everything else. Daichi found himself smiling inwardly. His student was becoming quite talented at shoving his emotions aside. It was apparent, not only from his expression, but also in his ability to perform techniques others were squeamish even discussing. Ibiki's weak points were still there, but they were rapidly dissolving.

"The subject fullfilled the time frame requirement without breaking. It is the opinion of this shinobi that he be promoted to the rank of jounin."

"It seems you ran the test as thoroughly as even I would have in your place," Daichi said, taking a sip of his tea and frowning slightly.

"Hai," the younger interrogator agreed.

"Then why, may I ask, did you not complete the mission? We both know you could have simply used your gift and have had it done and over with at any point you saw fit."

"The mission was to test the shinobi's ability to resist interrogation. I put the shinobi through the kinds of interrogation that he is most likely to face. If my mission had simply been to retrieve information, I would have forgone the other tactics all together. I have never failed in retrieving the information needed. I do not believe I have done so now, despite the subject's success." Ibiki's scowl amused Daichi, but he didn't let it show.

"Your mission was to do everything within your power to test the subjects ability to resist torture and interrogation. You were willing to break his body badly enough he will have to undergo a month's rehabilitation, you were willing to rape your subject, and yet simply using your gift to retrieve information causes you balk. I would like to know why."

"I refuse to invade a fellow Konoha shinobi's mind unless I am directly ordered to do so. That would be a far worse form of rape; one I intend to avoid whenever possible." His tone was almost as venomous as the look on his face.

"Then, if that's is the extent of your report, you may leave," he said, waving his had dismissively. Daichi waited until Ibiki was gone before smiling and taking another sip of his tea. 'Such an honorable little bastard,' he thought, chuckling to himself. Now, if he could just teach Ibiki to control his temper.

\-------

Gai stared at the contents of the box, unable to find his voice.

"Congratulations, you've earned it," Sandaime said. "I apologize that the test caused you to end up in here, however, you should be able to begin your training again in a day or so."

He forced himself to look up. "Thank you Sandaime-sama."

"That is not a jutsu to be used except in the most dire of circumstances." The old man fixed him with a stern gaze. "However, I'm sure you will use it wisely." Sandaime smiled at him softly.

"Yes Hokage-sama." Gai was still to shocked by the gift to manage more than that.

Sandaime frowned then, "I hope you understand that Ibiki-san was just doing his job."

Gai swallowed the anger that swelled up in his throat. He knew it was truly more at himself than the other man. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"He showed amazing restraint that I cannot begin to explain without going into detail about his particular abilities. Please know however, that of his generation, he is the best in his field."

It took a moment for the compliment to sink in. "I understand."

"Well, I need to be going. Let me know how your training goes."

"I shall learn the first stage of this jutsu by the end of the month or I will run 50 laps around Konoha!" Gai said grinning and giving the hokage his best smile and - good guy pose. It hurt but he managed not to wince.

"I am sure you will," Sandaime said as he turned and walked out of the room.

\-----

Ibiki raised his hand to knock just as the door swung open and Sandaime-sama stepped out. He bowed his head slightly. "Hello, Hokage-sama."

"Hello, Ibiki-kun." Ibiki managed not to outwardly twitch at the teasing nickname. Sandaime had his own sense of humor at times. "He's awake if you wish to speak to him."

"Hai," he said, nodding slightly.

"He does, however, need his rest, so don't stay too long."

"Hai." Then he stepped past the hokage into the hospital room. The dark haired nin was sitting up staring at a scroll that sat inside the box on his lap. Ibiki coughed to make his presence known.

"Hello," Gai said looking up at him. He was surprised at how calm the man seemed. He had thought he'd at least have to dodge a few kunai when the other saw him again.

"I came to apologize."

The other smiled -. "My honorable and worthy opponent, you have nothing to apologize for."

Ibiki stared at him a bit dumbstruck. This really wasn't what he had expected. "I want to apologize," he forced out past the surprise he felt. "For the extreme measures I took."

"Ah! But, they were necessary, and you have done your duty as shinobi! You should be proud of your actions!" The other said still grinning at him in that ludicrous fashion.

"I cannot take pride in hurting a fellow Konoha shinobi. Ever." Ibiki spoke the words he truly wished he could believe. He knew, however, if he felt no pride in his work, in his skill, he never would have taken the mission.

"Your actions make your comrades stronger so that they may face the enemy without fear!"

"My actions could have broken you. They could have destroyed you."

"Then I would not be ready for an enemy who would have no mercy and would not care if I broke." The smile did not falter despite the quieter more serious tone. "I am young, and youth is far more resilient than you realize."

"Hai," Ibiki said, confused by the man sitting - there looking to him as though what he'd gone through was no harder than the chunin exam. "I should leave." He honestly didn't know what else he should say, - so it seemed the best option.

"It seems, Ibiki-san, that I will be able to train again in a few days. I would be honored if you would help me to do so. The gift Hokage-sama gave me will be difficult to learn, and I would like to have a second set of eyes to see that I am doing it properly. You seem to be very good at analyzing others' weaknesses, and that may prove helpful."

Ibiki nodded more confused, and oddly fascinated than ever by other man. He turned to leave. "I shall visit you again then, Gai-san."


End file.
